Tag Archives: bugout retreat

If you have been reading my articles ( Is Bugging Out A Good Idea?) you already know that I do not recommend bugging out as an emergency plan unless you have no other options left. There seems to be a lot of controversy about the idea of bugging out so I will give some of the reasons why I arrived at this conclusion.

Timing; unless you have forewarning of an event, you are going to find out at the same time everybody else does. This means that you are going to be part of a herd of panicked and desperate people trying to evacuate the area. The roads will be clogged with traffic and broken down vehicles making travel difficult if not impossible. Police will be overwhelmed. Fueling stations will be closed or so clogged that it will be next to impossible to get fuel. Price gouging for fuel and other supplies (groceries, for instance) are almost a certainty. A few hours into the ensuing panic fuel and supplies will be unavailable for any price.

Bug Out Retreat; If you are one of the folks that have spent a lot of time and resources providing yourself with a retreat you are probably not going to get there. Unless you are already in your retreat (recommended) when the emergency occurs, you have probably wasted your time and money. Somebody will probably appreciate it, though.

Bug Out Vehicle; I have seen pictures of some impressive heavy duty 4WD vehicles different people have prepared with the idea that these vehicles will make it possible to travel to their bug out destinations carrying all their supplies. Good luck! These things use a lot of fuel and even if you carry enough fuel to make it to your destination, you still are not likely to get there due to clogged roads, highwaymen, and impassable terrain. Try fording a river or even a good sized ditch with one of them because the bridges are blocked.

Travel; As I mentioned before the roads and bridges will be blocked and impassible so travel will only be possible on foot. The average American lives a sedentary lifestyle and is overweight. How far can you travel on foot while carrying your supplies? How about your family? This will also leave you vulnerable to highwaymen and others that will want your supplies because they have none of their own. They probably are not going to ask nicely.

Armament; Traveling during an emergency unarmed is a fools errand. If you are not armed and skilled in the use of those arms you had better stay at home. Have an expensive assault rifle, fine pistol, or nice back pack? It will probably wind up in the hands of some 12 year old country boy who temple shot you from hiding with his single shot .22 as you trudged along the road.

I assume all of my readers are intelligent enough to realize they are not going to bug out to the woods and live off the land. Foraging, fishing, and hunting require knowledge and skills which are the result of years of training and experience which very few if any have. Those that are knowledgeable in these skills would not even try it. There will be enough dead bodies smelling up the woods without adding yours to them.

These are only some of the things you will have to deal with if you should decide to bug out. In the event of an emergency serious enough to shut things down where you are at things will get serious real quick. This is not a movie or game it is life and those that make the wrong decisions will not live long.